If Only You Were Lonely
by xjrose
Summary: He won't admit it, but he's lonely too.
1. Chapter 1

She felt like she'd been wandering for days. She didn't know what to do. He was the only one she had ever known. And now he's gone. But she should hate him, shouldn't she? He lied to her, drugged her, killed her mother. So why was it that she still loved him, missed him?

Shilo knew she had to get out of the house, to go somewhere, find someone. She couldn't stay locked in her prison forever. She went to her mother's tomb and out to the graveyard. But he wasn't there. She went to the place where she'd met the addicts. The alley was empty. "If I were a graverobber..." Shilo spoke into the air absentmindedly.

"You wouldn't be yourself," a voice answered back. Shilo gasped and turned to find him standing there, looming over her. Her face brightened into a grin. "What are you doing here, Kid?"

"Looking for you."

"For what?" the Graverobber asked with a perplexed look.

Now that she thought about it, she felt really stupid. She didn't know why she had been looking for him. "I... needed someone... I guess." He looked at her as if to say 'A strong girl like you never needs anyone.' Shilo stuttered, "I'm lonely."

He nodded, seeming to understand. He'd never admit it, but he got lonely for a friend sometimes too. "Stick with me, Kid, and you'll be all right." Sometimes he just wished for someone who actually cared about him and not his profession. Seeing Shilo again made him think that she was exactly what he had been looking for.


	2. Chapter 2

"Let me take you home." Graverobber touched her shoulder and flashed a smile. She didn't really want to go back, at least not alone.

Graverobber brought her to her mother's tomb. She stood on the threshold looking back at him as he began to walk away. "Um," Shilo began, not sure what to call him. "Sir?"

Graverobber turned towards her again, silently laughing. "Sir isn't exactly fitting, don't you think?"

"Well, no, but I... I don't want to be alone. Will you... Stay with me?"

He smiled and touched her shoulder again. "Sure, Kid." Graverobber opened the door and ushered her inside. He stood for a moment, admiring Marni's photo. "She was pretty. Just like you." He knew she was still pretty even in death but that was one grave he wouldn't dig up. They walked into the house and Graverobber smiled at the bird cage. "What kind of bird was it?"

"I don't know. It's been empty as long as I can remember."

"That's because the bird was you, Kid."

Shilo thought about it for a while. Tears started welling in her eyes, "Yeah, I guess so."

"Sorry, Kid."

"It's Shilo."

Graverobber smiled again. "Shilo. That's pretty."

"Thanks, my mom's idea." His compliments cheered her up, though she couldn't tell the sincerity in them. He wasn't used to giving compliments. "What's your name?"

"I don't remember."

"How can you forget your own name?" She laughed.

"No one's used it in so long. It wouldn't matter even if I did know it. It wouldn't fit me anyway; I'm not that person anymore."

"Yeah," Shilo replied. She wasn't the same person either. But she still remembered her name. "I think I'm going to go to bed. You're sure you're willing to stay?" She gave an uneasy smile. He nodded and headed for the couch. Graverobber suspected she wouldn't want him disturbing her father's stuff, even though he was a lying bastard.

Shilo laid in bed for a while. She was tired but couldn't sleep. Her mind kept wandering back to the man on her couch. Shilo sighed and walked back down the stairs.

He was already asleep but he stirred at the sound of her stuttering. "Um, do you mind..?"

"What?" he asked, confused, but Graverobber knew exactly what she wanted when he looked into her eyes. "No, not at all," he smiled and turned to his side to make room for her.

Shilo laid down with her back to him. She felt as though she'd fall off the couch at any moment but she didn't mind; she was just glad for the company.

Graverobber took in her sweet scent. It had been a while since he had laid next to someone who genuinely cared for him and it was nice for a change. It made him feel like a real person again.

He didn't want to disrespect her, but he also didn't want her to fall off of the couch. Graverobber wrapped an arm around Shilo. He heard her give a chuckle of laughter, telling him that it was all right. He was glad for that. The last thing he wanted was to offend her. Graverobber kissed the back of her head and she fell asleep in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

Graverobber woke early and carefully removed himself from the couch. He had things he had to do. He hated leaving Shilo alone but he wrote her a note, promising to return. He snuck out the front door, knowing that if he went out the way he came in, he wouldn't be able to resist Marni's charm.

Shilo awoke to find herself alone on the couch. She found a note on the coffee table:

_Shilo,_

_I had stuff I had to get done. I'll be back as soon as I can and I'll bring you a gift to make it up to you. I hope you aren't too lonely._

_ Graverobber_

Shilo was a little upset that he was gone but she knew she would be all right until he came back to her. She wondered what he would bring for her. The only thing she really wanted was Nathan but she prayed that Graverobber wouldn't bring his body back to her. The only living thing she wanted was already coming back to her.

Everything on television paid tribute to the opera. "Seventeen year old Shilo Wallace woke up two days ago an orphan. Her mother was killed by her own husband Repoman Nathan Wallace. Shilo's father Nathan was shot and killed at the opera by none other than this man." There was a photograph on the screen of the Graverobber, her Graverobber.

Shilo clicked off the tv in a heated rage. "I can't believe that they would say something like that about him! But they would rather lie than say something bad about Rotti Largo." Shilo shook her head. Jumping off the couch, I almost ran into a man crossing into my living room, a tall, handsome man with long dark hair and black lipstick against his pale skin. "They're calling you my father's murderer now."

Graverobber grinned. "They haven't caught me as the Graverobber so why are you worried about it, Kid?" He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Listen, I got you something." He pulled his other hand from behind his back, revealing a red rose. "It's fake, sadly. The real ones are extinct. But it still smells like a real one." Shilo's face lit up and she hugged him.

"Wait," Shilo looked up at him. "Why red?"

Graverobber shrugged, but he was grinning. "Figured you'd like it." That wasn't the only reason and she knew it.

"I read somewhere that each color of a rose means something different. And red means romance," she looked like she wanted an explanation. But he didn't give one.

Instead, he said, "Is there a problem with that?"

Shilo giggled. "No, I guess not." She stood on the tips of her toes and and leaned towards him. Her lips came so close to touching his that she could smell his breath. He wasn't about to make a move until she was ready so he waited. Shilo pulled away again. "When was the last time you took a shower or brushed your teeth?" she asked.

Graverobber laughed. "Yeah, I guess it's been a while. Do you mind?"

"No," she said. "There's a new toothbrush on the counter. I left it for you last night."

Shilo couldn't believe that she'd almost kissed him. He was a graverobber; he did horrible things for a living. Wouldn't it have been like kissing a corpse? She shuddered at the thought, but she couldn't help but wonder if she was falling for him.


	4. Chapter 4

Graverobber came out of the bathroom sporting only a towel around his hips. His chest was bare and the sight of his body almost took Shilo's breath away. His lips were almost pink, the black having washed off most of the way but there was a slight trace of lipstick left on his lips. His hair dripped a bit of water onto his shoulders. Graverobber nearly blushed when he saw the way that the seventeen year old girl was looking at his body. "I hope you don't mind. I had to wash my clothes too." He grinned.

"We have a washing machine." She laughed.

"Never had one to know how to use it." Graverobber said.

"Grab your clothes, I show you. Drop the towel, I kill you. Got it?"

He grinned again. "Got it, Kid." Shilo led him out to the washing machine and showed him how to turn it on. She told him how to work the dryer as well before making her way to the door. "Hey, Shilo?" Graverobber called her back. She turned to him. "You liked that rose then?" She beamed again and nodded. This time her lips did touch his. She needed to satisfy her curiosity. His lips were a bit more rough than her father's had been but she forgot all about that when Graverobber put his hand to her cheek and drew her closer.

Graverobber didn't know what he was doing. Yes, he loved her, but he knew she was too young to know love, too young to love him. Yet still she was always on his mind. Something always drew him closer. He had no intention of taking advantage of the girl. If she wanted it, he wouldn't deny his feelings for her. Graverobber knew that right now Shilo was just satisfying her curiosity for love, for lust, for loyalty. He could tell that she had never even seen a man before her opera excursion, let alone touched one. He pulled her closer, removing his hand from her cheek and letting it hang about her waist, keeping in mind her towel comment.

She openned her mouth to let him through. He tasted like toothpaste and saliva. Shilo's head started to spin at the thought of saliva but she tried to ignore it. She was having withdrawls again. She backed away from Graverobber and sat down on the floor, clutching her head. He gave a worried look. "You okay, kid?" She couldn't speak, just shook her head. He ran to the kitched to get her a glass of water. She tried to drink it but it only reminded her of the medication. She felt sick.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, Graverobber?" They were sitting on the couch and he was now fully clothed.

'Yes, darling?' was what he wanted to say, but instead he said, "What's up, Kid?"

"What does being in love feel like?" Shilo's eyes were twinkling.

'Like being with you,' he held his tongue. "It's like being on a cloud when you're with that special person. They're always on your mind: first thought when you wake up and the last thought at night. To you, they're the most gorgeous being on the planet. You never want to see them in pain. You want them to be happy no matter where that leaves you."

Shilo smiled. "You've been in love before."

"Once or twice." Truthfully, he wasn't thinking about the past, only about the beautiful girl sitting before him.

"Did any of them love you back?" she asked, hanging on every word.

"If they did, I wouldn't be here with you now." Graverobber smiled.

"I guess so." Shilo hugged him close. "Hey, you'd protect me right? If I was in danger, I mean?"

"Of course, Shilo." Graverobber petted her hair. 'No one has ever meant so much to me before.' Her hair stuck to his hand and slipped back, revealing a bald head. He covered a hand over his mouth and she started to cry. "I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at myself and the situation. It's okay, Kid." He kissed her forehead and she nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Graverobber laid down on his back against the couch. Shilo folded herself into the couch and draped herself over him, her bare head on his chest. "Hey, Graverobber?" she looked up at him.

"Yes, Shilo?"

"I love you." She kissed his cheek.

"I love you too." He put his arm around her back and kissed the top of her head. "And I think you're cute without hair." Graverobber didn't know why she was bald but he didn't want to ruin the moment by asking.


End file.
